


Moving Forward

by Strings_Threads_And_Ties



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Graduation, Inarizaki, Kita Ship Week 2021, Love Confessions, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-16 08:29:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28828203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strings_Threads_And_Ties/pseuds/Strings_Threads_And_Ties
Summary: It's graduation day for Inarizaki High and Kita is trying to move forward but everyone is trying to give him love confessions.
Relationships: Kita Shinsuke/Miya Atsumu (hinted)
Kudos: 36
Collections: Kita Ship Week 2021





	Moving Forward

**Author's Note:**

> It's Kita Ship Week! So my fics are ship related but at the same time the ship is subtle. Love is great but it's more than just grand gestures but it's about understanding each other, being patient with each other. This is a fic about Atsumu respecting Kita's space and emotions.

Kita believed that all good things come to an end, sooner rather than later.

He had already said goodbye to his mother, father, and paternal grandfather, his mentor. His older sister had already left the family almost nine years ago, abandoning everything that they stood for.

His childhood innocence was lost the day his grandfather told him the family secret. His time spent as captain of the volleyball team was cut short when Karasuno beat them in the Spring Nationals.

Everything good eventually ended.

Now, as Kita patiently listened to the female class president give a speech, his time at Inarizaki was ending.

He wondered where life would take him. He had applied to a local college but knew that he was meant for something greater. It was expected of Kita to attend college, a prestigious one. It would look more suspicious of him to _not_ further his education. But education was good for making money but Kita wanted more out of life.

Staring up into the blue sky, Kita let a smile grace his face. He was going to be considered an adult now, not a mere child.

If there was one thing that Kita yearned for, it was to not be treated like a child. He was skilled, calculating, and intelligent. Being a minor implied that he couldn’t think for himself, that his brain wasn’t developed enough to make rational decisions. All of the elders would soon know the wrath of Kita. He would take the world by storm and show them the true power of a Kita.

As he walked onto the stage to accept his diploma, Kita searched the crowd for those who had attended for him. There was the Inarizaki Volleyball Team (they attended for Kita, Akagi, Aran, and Oomimi) in the middle with ‘Congrats!’ painted in white on a black banner. In the front row, Kita saw his younger brother and his paternal grandmother. Ichinose, his ten year-old brother, was waving at him enthusiastically while his grandmother took his picture with an actual camera.

There were only four left in the Kita family. Well, there was apparently an estranged aunt from his father’s side but Kita didn’t know who that was. Still, the only ones left of the illustrious Kita line was Shinsuke, Ichinose, Yukiko, and Yumie.

Kita Yumie, the grandmother that married into the Kita line but never understood what they stood for, just accepted her husband’s secrecy yet not willing to try and truly understand it.

Kita Yukiko, the daughter that abandoned the Kita legacy as soon as she graduated, never to be seen.

Kita Ichinose, the son too young to understand the dangers of the world, too naïve and trusting of everyone.

Kita Shinsuke, the son that would continue the Kita legacy, striving forward, moving onwards and upwards, never stopping.

There was so much that Kita needed to accomplish in such a short time. It felt as if the world’s burden was on his shoulders and he had to be all alone. He would survive and strive, becoming stronger and stronger each day, he refused to believe otherwise.

‘ _We don’t need things like memories._ ’

Kita hated the school motto but understood what it meant. Inarizaki would soon just fade away into a memory, the high school that he once attended. It was a necessary obstacle that he had to go through. Now, every choice he made was his and his alone, all consequences included. It was a freedom that Kita had always longed for and now finally had.

Once the ceremony ended, Kita went towards his grandmother and younger brother with a soft smile gracing his face.

“Ya looked great nii-chan!” Ichinose said, throwing himself at Kita, hugging him around his waist.

“Thank ya, Ichi,” Kita gave him a soft squeeze.

His soft light gray haired tickled Kita’s nose. Ichinose was eight years younger than Kita at ten years-old. Since the death of their parents eight years ago, Kita had become the unofficial guardian of Ichinose. Though the two Kita brothers were technically under the guardianship of their grandparents, the elder knew that _he_ was the one responsible for taking care of Ichinose. It wasn’t that their grandparents didn’t love them, oh no, it was just that Yumie was too weak and frail while Isamu was always out hunting. Isamu was helping others, saving lives, the family business, something that Kita had started to do when he was eight, three years before his parent’s deaths.

“I’m so proud of ya, Shin,” Yumie said to her grandson. Her gray hair was pulled in a loose bun while her soft brown eyes twinkled up at him. She was seventy-one years-old but the death of her husband, her son, and her daughter-in-law had been rough on her. She had lived a peaceful life before meeting Isamu and the pressure had gotten to her.

“Thank ya, oba-san,” Kita said. He stared down at the sapphire blue eyes of his brother, envious of the beautiful color. The color had come from their other grandmother that was who knows where these days. That wonderful eye color also belonged to their older sister that had left them a long time ago.

The three of them had some small talk with Kita leading his grandmother and younger brother to the courtyard where he used to eat lunch during school, right under a large cherry blossom tree that was in full bloom.

Kita enjoyed being with Ichinose and his grandmother, just the three of them. It had been a long time since something had good had happened to them. Though Kita was graduating, it didn’t mean that he would be out of their lives entirely.

“He- He- Hello, K- Kita-kun,” Aoyama Orimi, the female class president, nervously called out.

Kita turned away from his grandmother and younger brother, looking down at the female.

Orimi was a beautiful woman with soft ginger locks and bright sea green eyes. She was petite and the former captain of the Inarizaki cheer squad, cheering them on each game. Not only was she second in grades, just under Kita himself, but she also volunteered at the animal shelter. Orimi was planning to go to Tokyo University and eventual become a cancer researcher in honor of her younger sister that had cancer. All in all, Orimi was every boy’s dream.

“Hello there, Aoyama-chan. Congratulations on graduating as the honor student,” Kita told her.

“Oh!” Aoyama blushed prettily, hiding behind her locks. “Uh, that’s only because ya turned it down, Kita-kun.”

“Ya deserved it though,” Kita stoically told her. He turned down the position because that title looked good on college applications and Kita didn’t want to take that title away from someone that actually wanted it.

“Uh… Er…” Aoyama fiddled with her fingers, unsure about her actions. “Can we please talk somewhere private?”

Kita stiffly nodded, already knowing what was about to happen. He bid his grandmother and younger brother away, both of them snickering at him.

Under a cherry blossom tree, how cliché, Aoyama gave Kita a pink envelope that was scented with Aoyama’s perfume: a soft lavender and vanilla.

“I’ve always liked ya, Kita-kun,” Aoyama started off. “Ever since ya entered Inarizaki, ya always had some kinda presence that none of us have.”

Taking a deep breathe, Aoyama stared at Kita’s brown eyes with her own sea green ones.

“Ya captured my attention and always held it. It’s been a blessin’ bein’ in yer presence. This isn’t just a high school crush, but somethin’ real. If you’d have me, I wanna be together, as partners in life.”

Kita sighed as he stared at the imploring look in her eyes.

Of course Kita had been confessed to before. Despite not being a regular on the volleyball team, he was still captain, the top of his grade, and decent looking. Even without everyone knowing his family’s legacy, he had been someone attractive, not just physically. Even Aran had teased Kita about having a presence that draw others towards him.

Kita wondered if that had to do with his natural skills as a leader. However, he had never expected that aura to transfer into high school, only the hunter world.

After a certain incident in his first year at Inarizaki, Kita hadn’t been on the receiving end of confessions. But something about him graduating must have triggered something within Aoyama and probably a lot more people. Kita had felt the eyes of other people staring a hole into his back. Aoyama wouldn’t be the only one confessing to him, that was certain.

“Aoyama-chan,” Kita started off, “I don’t think ya actually like me.”

Aoyama’s look of adoration and flustered nervousness quickly changed to shock and disbelief.

“I think ya like that idea of me,” Kita continued. His cold logic helping him get through this painful first confession of the day. “I’m not some kinda interestin’ person ya think I am. I’m just Kita Shinsuke, a guy that gets good grades and have decent leadership skills. Yer a nice girl and someone will fall for ya, but that person ain’t me. I’m sorry.”

With that Kita, turned on his heel and walked away, trying to not be bothered by the crying that he heard.

He had heard the sobs of true despair and those weren’t it. The first time he had heard them was when he told an old woman that her husband of seventy years had died, eaten by a yokai. Those were sobs of true despair, no. The woman had cracked, tears streaming down her cheeks and frozen in shock, unable to process that the person she loved was no longer with her. It had been a silent cry and stunning disbelief and denial of what was true and couldn’t be changed.

Kita knew he was cold but it didn’t matter. Aoyama would soon find someone that she actually liked and fall for the person that was truly meant for her. He had narrowed down between two people which one he was meant to be with. Still, narrowing it down from billions to just two still made the choice extremely difficult, especially once he got to know them both.

The young man was pulled aside by many others after Aoyama.

Hirashima Tamiya from the softball team. Tamashiro Orino, the president of the baking club. Iwasaki Hikari, the star from the badminton team. Kanai Emina from the kendo club. Uesugi Nanami, the president of the music club. Shime Waki and Futaki Ritsuko, two girls that Kita had tutored and were a year younger than him but were the nieces of the Inarizaki dean. Uchiyama Nao, the captain of the Inarizaki Girls’ Volleyball Team. Samon Sayo, the richest girl at Inarizaki. Nakama Chihomi, the student council president that got a music scholarship for playing violin.

Those were just the prominent girls but there were many more. A few that he tutored, other players from sports teams, nice and pretty girls that just graduated along with second year girls as well.

After the fifty-fifth confession, yes he counted, Kita was exhausted and just wanted to go back with his family.

“Kita-san!”

Kita turned around to look at Miya Atsumu, someone that made him feel nervous and shy, jogging towards him, his arm raised and waving at him.

“Atsumu,” Kita greeted him, making sure to keep his face blank.

“We’ve been tryin’ ta find ya, Kita-san,” Atsumu said, stopping in front of his former captain.

Kita’s dull brown eyes looked up at the mischievous brown eyes of his former underclassman. Atsumu had a strong jaw, sharp features, bold eyebrows, and an awful mustard hair dye. He was taller than Kita by eight centimeters but Atsumu had always looked up to Kita. His hands were much larger than Kita’s, his body bulkier, but how he treated the things he loved was with a softness and gentleness that Kita envied at times. Atsumu was devoted to anything that he loved whether that be volleyball or his twin brother. He gave more than one hundred percent, it was more like one thousand percent. Kita had once thought of Atsumu as some kind of monster but once he looked deeper and looked within himself, he thought of Atsumu as a brilliant star, something that needed to be seen by the world. He was incandescent and Kita was drawn to the light despite found comfort in the darkest parts of the world.

“I apologize,” Kita said, frowning when he looked up at the sky and realized that it had been well over three hours since he had pulled to confession after confession. “I have been given fifty-fifty confessions today.”

“Fifty-five?!” Atsumu shouted, alarmed at the number and how deadpanned Kita sounded when he said the number.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Atsumu narrowed his eyes and looked down at his blazer, locking onto the second button that was still in place.

“Have ya returned any of their confessions?” Atsumu asked, already knowing the question.

“Of course not,” Kita bluntly told him. “Their feelings are artificial. They don’t know the real Kita Shinsuke. They like the _idea_ of me, not who I actually am.”

“Who is the real Kita Shinsuke then?” Atsumu boldly asked him, his brown eyes curious and unwavering.

Kita gave him a sad smile, making Atsumu falter in his conviction.

“The real Kita Shinsuke is someone that has lost his parents at a young age and is the reason why his grandfather is dead. The real Kita Shinsuke is not perfect by any means, but someone that is _human_ , someone that mistakes, is filled with flaws.”

Atsumu stared at the smaller with a tender look. He knew that Kita had lost his parents young and that his grandfather died just last year but Atsumu didn’t know the details. He knew that Kita was flawed, knew that he was human but that was what made him all the more wonderful. Atsumu believed that understanding one’s own flaws was more important than perfecting your talent. Everyone can improve on what they are good at but admitting to flaws took time and deep self-reflection. He learned this from Kita. Had it not been for his senpai, Atsumu was sure he would be burned out before he got out of high school and into the pros. When Kita forced him to take care of himself and gave him a care package, Atsumu was forced to do his won self-reflection. He needed to care about himself because others cared about him. They weren’t blinded by the passion that was always in Atsumu’s eyes. They saw the danger and made sure to pull Atsumu from the cliff of self-destruction. It was the first step in loving Kita Shinsuke.

“Everyone has flaws,” Atsumu started off. “Flaws are what make us human.”

Atsumu shuffled closer and gently caressed Kita’s cheek with the back of his hand.

Kita forced himself to not blush or break expression but he couldn’t deny that the touch of Atsumu ignited something within him.

The older lifted his hand and held Atsumu’s hand in place and looked up at him with an adoring look.

“Thank ya, Atsumu,” Kita whispered gently to him. “I needed ta be reminded of that.”

The two stared at each other, taking comfort in this moment together, just the two of them.

But time does not freeze and the world continues to spin on its axis.

Kita slowly brought their hands down, away from his cheek.

“I’ll be givin’ my second button ta my grandfather,” Kita told Atsumu, looking him straight in the eye. “Just because it’s closest ta my heart doesn’t mean I have ta give it to someone that I am _in_ love with. My heart belongs ta my family.”

Atsumu smiled, not at all disappointed. In fact, it was just like Kita to look at things from a different perspective. He thought it was sweet that Kita’s second button would be given to not a lover but to his grandfather. If anything, Atsumu was glad that Kita had thought of that. While Atsumu loved Kita, he knew that the older had some things he needed to work on by himself before he could ever fall in love with someone. Kita’s grandfather deserved his grandson’s utter devotion. He had died for his grandson to live and Atsumu believed that was the purest kind of love, to be willing to die for your own family member.

“That’s just like ya, Kita-san,” Atsumu told him. “Let’s go back to yer family.”

“That would be nice,” Kita softly smiled at him.

The two of them walked back and Kita couldn’t help but smiling. Today was the end of his journey at Inarizaki High School but it was also the start of his greatest adventure—Life.


End file.
